Category: August

Ref Rodriguez’s guilty plea to charges related to political money laundering marks the end of his career in the Los Angeles school system. But it is the beginning of challenges for NELA schools in Board District 5, the area Mr. Rodriquez represented on the school board. The job of a school board member is to […]

The proposal to build a five-story, 85,000 square-foot, StorQuest self-storage facility at the west entrance to Eagle Rock has been moving through the city’s review process and could come before the City Council for a final decision as early as this fall. The public has until mid-August to weigh in on the proposal with the […]

When Michael Martinez was studying Youth Ministry at Azusa Pacific University with plans to be a pastor, he had no idea he would eventually become the composting evangelist of Los Angeles County. But as the founder and Executive Director of L.A. Compost, a composting collective, that is precisely what he is today, spreading the word […]

Not going anywhere in August? Lucky you! Here’s a short list for treating yourself like a tourist in your own corner of L.A. Griffith Park with a Twist Don’t just visit the Griffith Park Observatory, hike to it. About the only thing that’s not totally awesome about the Observatory is the parking. So park along […]

My Vegan When Jaeda Ng chose to locate her second My Vegan restaurant in Eagle Rock, the decision was easy. At her restaurant in Pasadena, she said, “many of my customers were from Eagle Rock.” My Vegan does just what a great vegan restaurant should do. It surprises with its creative, Asian-inspired offerings, using familiar […]

The Shambhala Center in Eagle Rock is an outpost of Shambhala International, one of the largest Buddhist meditation organizations in the West. Last month, Shambhala International was rocked when its leader, Mipham Rinpoche, took a leave amid allegations that he had sexually abused some women in the organization. The governing council of the organization, headquartered […]

“This is our worst nightmare.” Those were the words of Fernando Ochoa, the LAPD Senior Lead Officer for Eagle Rock, at a recent briefing before the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce. He was referring to the shoot-out on July 21 between police and an attempted-murder suspect at the Silver Lake Trader Joe’s and the announcement […]

Over the summer, 23 repair and renovation projects, with a total budget of $20 million, have been underway at 21 schools in Board District 5, which includes Northeast Los Angeles. NELA’s slice of the pie includes the following: Buchanan Street Elementary School (Highland Park): New playground structure and matting in the kindergarten yard Eagle Rock […]

By all accounts, L.A. is one of the most expensive cities in America. With median home prices in Eagle Rock, Glassell Park and Mount Washington now approaching the million-dollar mark, NELA is officially among the priciest housing markets in L.A. But not everyone on the Eastside is a homeowner. In fact, renters account for the […]

The forlorn Taco Bell on Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock will soon see better and happier days, thanks to an agreement between Nader Ashoori, the owner of the Taco Bell, and The Eagle Rock Association (TERA), an improvement group. The agreement, which was reached with the help of staff from the office of Councilmember José […]

The buyer of Frank’s Camera and two other buildings on Figueroa St. in Highland Park is a limited partnership named “AP Highland Park.” AP Highland Park is, in turn, part of a larger real estate investment portfolio run by Asana Partners Fund, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Boulevard Sentinel reported on the $23 million […]

When unionized service workers at public schools in Los Angeles won a hard-fought new contract in May, their leader, Max Arias, of El Sereno, told the Boulevard Sentinel that the union could not rest on its laurels. Union members had to remain united and active, he said, because anti-union forces were strong and getting stronger. Sure […]

The University of California has offered admission this fall to 28,750 transfer students, a record number, UC officials said in July. Most of these students are California residents transferring from community colleges. That is an encouraging development for the large share of students who start college at the community level. In NELA, for example, 300 […]

For 103 incoming juniors at Eagle Rock High School, myself included, the first day of school on Aug. 14 will be the start of a rigorous, two-year academic journey known as the “International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme,” or IBDP. Begun in 1968 in Switzerland, IBDP stresses intercultural understanding, inquiry and analysis through immersion in English language […]

I recently noticed a new flower bed behind Antigua Bread, the coffeehouse/bakery at 5703 N. Figueroa St. Where there once had been weeds and trash was a beautiful wood-framed garden bed, approximately 6-by-6 feet, with colorful flowers, some vegetables – and a five-gallon plastic bucket strapped to a tall wooden pole and connected by a […]

I recently received an email from a reader, a 47-year old man about to turn 48, asking for advice. With his permission, the email is summarized below, followed by my reply. The man reported deep loneliness from never having had a girlfriend. He said he had sought help from counselors to no avail. “I am […]

Summer is supposed to be a slow time. But as this issue of the Boulevard Sentinel shows, there is really no slowing down in NELA. Either things are happening in the area or things taking place elsewhere affect the area. And it’s not all good. For instance, on page 9, we review the latest information […]